Water-gage.



J. HACKETT. WATER GAGE. ArPLIoATIoN FILED Mum, 1911.

JAMES HACKETT, OF PORT COSTA, CALIFORNIA.

WATER-GAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. May 14, 1912.

Application filed March 27, 1911. Serial No. 617,223.

To all wlw/m, it may conce/m Be it known that I, JAMES Hacxn'r'r, citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Portlosta, in the county of Contra Costa and State oit' California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Tater-Gages, ot which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a water gage such as is employed on steam boilers 'lor indicating the depth ot' water therein.

It is the object oit this invention to provide a water gage which is so constructed and arranged that the steam entering the top thereof will be delivered to the glass tube some distance below its upper terminal, thereby preventing extreme heating of the glass adjacent its upper end, which, in many instances, results in the bursting otI the tube.

Another object is to provide a water glass with valved inlets which are adapted to be quickly shut ofl in the event oi accidental breaking ot' the glass tube.

The invention consists of the parts and the combination and construction ot' parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed,having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the invention. Fig. Q is a vertical section on the line www, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 1/ah Fig. 2.

In the drawings, A represents a transparent glass tube, which is slidably supported at its upper and lower ends in packing` glands 2-3, respectively, which glands are screw-threaded on valve-casings 1.--5, and press packing rings GwG against the outer surface oit the tube A. The ends ot the tube A extend a short distance into the valve casings L1--5 and are held out ot cone..

tact therewith by means of the packing rings (S-G so thatl there will be no metal touching the glass tube at any point.

The essence of this invention resides in forming a cylindrical chamber c in the valve casing l above the upper end ot' the tube A, on the walls of which chamber an offset or shoulder 7 is formed, and inserting a batlle disk S therein. The disk 8 is designed to rest on the offset 7 and has a downwardly projecting flange 9 which touches the inner wall ot' the chamber below the offset 7.

Formed on the underside of the disk 8 is a tubular member 10, which extends some distance downward into the glass tube A out of Contact therewith. This tube 10 is open at its lower end to the interior of the tube A. and opens at its upper end to the chamber above the baille disk S. The disk S is held in place on the otlset 7 by means of a cap 11 which is threaded in the chamber above the disk 8 and 'forms a closure therettor, this cap having a downwardly projecting flange 1Q which is adapted to contact with the upper face ot the disk 8 and a wrench hold 13, by means ot which it may be screwed in place or readily removed. The lower edge of the flange 12 on the cap 11 is provided with a peripheral groove 14, which extends entirely around the exterior otI the flange to form an annular passage between the Vflange and the walls of the chamber adjacent the disk S. A series of perforations 15 is ,formed in the flange 12 so as to render the passage 14 and the space linside the 'flange 12 intercommimicative, and thereby permit the passage of steam from a port 16 in the valve casing to the space above the ba'llle disk 8. The port 1G communicates with the interior of a valve chamber 1,7 in which is seated a valve 1S, mounted on a valve stem 19, extending through a stulling box Q0 at right angles to the valve casing el, the valve chamber 17 opening to a boiler through a port 21 iu a nipple 22. The valve stem 19 is provided with a lever handle Q3, by the operation ot which the valve 1S may be moved to open or close the port 16.

Mounted in the lower valve casing 5 is a cut-ott' valve 1S constructed and lnounted the same as the cut-ollI f'alve 1S in the upper casing 4l, this valve being provided to open or close ports 1(3'-Q1 communicating with the lower end ot the glass tube A and the interior of a boiler. A .nipple 22 is formed 4on the valve casing 5 by means ot which it may be attached to a boiler in the usual manner.

Then the valves 18-18 are open, water and steam will enter the glass tube, the water entering through the port 16 and the steam passing through the port 1G, passage 14, and perforations 15 into the space above the ballle disk S, thence downward through the tube 10, and being discharged into the glass tube A below the valve casing 4t. This manner of directing the steam into the tube A constitutes an important feature of this invention, inasmuch as the hot, dry steam is prevented trom coming in contact with that portion of the glass tube A which extends into the valve-casing 4, it being Well known that the heat of the upper valve casing in common water gages is transmitted to the upper ends of the glass tube therein so t-hat the tube is worn ofta by the contact of the dry steam therewith. This, in time, results in the bursting of the tube.

From the foregoing it will be seen that in the event that the glass A becomes broken, the valves 18-18 may be readily closed by operating the levers 23-23, which may be done from a distance by any suitable means, not shown. When it is desired to remove or replace a tube A, the cap ll and the disk S are 'removed from the casing 4, and the glands 2H?) are loosened, which permits of the ready removal or insertion of the tube.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is-

l. In a water gage, the combination of a valve casing having a chamber and having an internal shoulder, a glass tube mounted in said casing, a baffle plate disposed in said casing above the tube and having a flange engaging said shoulder, means on said plate for directing steam through the plate to the interior of the tube some distance below the upper end thereof, a cap fitting the casing Y and having a flange with openings to a space above said disk, and to the chamber of the casing, said casing having a port, and a valve for closing said port.

2. In a water gage, the combination of a valve casing, having a chamber and having an internal shoulder, a glass tube mounted in said casing, a baffle plate disposed in said casing above the tube and having a flange engaging said shoulder, means on said plate for directing steam through the plate to the interior of the tube some distance below the upper end thereof, a cap fitting the casing and having a flange with openings to a space above said disk and to the chamber of the casing, said casing having a port, and a valve for closing said port, said valve having a stem, and a lever thereon for operating the valve.

3. In a water gage, the combination with a valve casing, and a glass tube supported at its upper and lower ends therein, of a metallic tube extending into-the upper end of the glass tube, a baffle plate mounted in the upper valve casing on which plate said tube is formed, and a cap fitting the upper casing and having a flange engaging the plate from above, said flange being of reduced thickness at one end to form a circumscribing space between itself and the inner wall of the casing, and said flange having openings forming a connection between said space and said tube.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing wit-nesses.

JAMES HACKETT. Witnesses:

HUGH P. EDWARDS, K. E. EDWARDS.

(TopicsA of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

